Measures:
(1) problem frequency
(2) problem severity
(3) loudness of tinnitus on visual analogue scale (VAS)
Frequency for feeling an impact from tinnitus:
(1) makes you feel irritable or nervous
(2) makes you feel tired or ill
(3) makes it difficult for you to relax
(4) makes it uncomfortable (unpleasant) to be in a quiet room
(5) makes it difficult to concentrate
(6) makes it difficult to interact pleasantly with others
(7) interference with work
(8) interference with home activities
(9) interference with social activities
(10) interference with leisure activities
(11) interference with sleep
|
Response
|
Points
|
|
never
|
0
|
|
rarely
|
1
|
|
sometimes
|
2
|
|
usually, often
|
3
|
|
always
|
4
|
Problems caused by tinnitus:
(1) effort required to ignore tinnitus if present
(2) discomfort associated with usual level of tinnitus
(3) impact on sleep quality
(4) impact on overall enjoyment of life
|
Response
|
Points
|
|
none
|
0
|
|
minimal
|
1
|
|
mild
|
2
|
|
moderate
|
3
|
|
severe
|
4
|
Visual analogue scale (VAS) for loudness of usual tinnitus: range from 0 to 10. A score of 1 indicated barely perceptible and 10 extremely loud.
where:
• I think a VAS response for overall impact on enjoyment of life might be a reasonable substitute for the point assignment.
• Another approach is to grade both frequency and severity for each finding.
total score for frequency responses =
= SUM(points for the 11 impact items)
total score for problem severity responses =
= SUM(points for the 4 problem items)
